Knicks go cold down the stretch, fall to injured Jimmy Butler, Heat in Game 1

The Knicks got off to a strong start and then watched as Jimmy Butler went down with an ankle injury in the second half, but still couldn’t close out the Heat.

The Heat came into Madison Square Garden and out-scored the Knicks 58-46 in the second half en route to a 108-101 victory in Game 1 in front of a star-studded crowd that included Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Ewing, Dwyane Wade, John Starks and others.

The Knicks scored just 7 points in the final 5 minutes of the game.

Butler injured his right ankle when he got tied up with Josh Hart with about 5 minutes remaining but stayed in the game and made both foul shots to put the Heat up 97-92. Heat coach Eric Spoelstra was seen mouthing a profanity after Butler went down.

“Find a way to win, be out there, be a presence,” Butler, who finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds, said on ESPN of his mind-set after the injury. “I didn’t do too much except for airball a three, but I’ll take the W.”

Asked how it felt, Butler said, “Like a rolled ankle.”

Kyle Lowry scored 9 of his 18 off the bench in the fourth quarter as the Heat outscored the Knicks, 27-26.

“He’s a winner, he’s our leader whether he’s starting or coming off the bench,” Butler said of Lowry. “He’s a champion, he’s been doing a great job for us all year long. He’s one of the engines that helps us go and we’re going to ride that wave.”

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The Heat bench out-scored the Knicks bench 30-15. Miami also dominated from the line, making 23-of-29, while the Knicks shot 12-of-20.

Gabe Vincent scored 20 for the Heat, making 5-of-12 from deep. The Heat converted 13-of-39 from beyond the arc, while the Knicks made just 7-of-34.

R.J. Barrett led the Knicks with 26 points and Jalen Brunson added 25. The Knicks were without injured star Julius Randle (ankle).

The Heat have now taken homecourt from the Knicks heading into Game 2 on Tuesday.

“We believe that we can do something special, we’re going to continue to play as such and we’re going to see where we end up in the end,” Butler said.

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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter who covers Seton Hall and NJ college basketball for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com.